Lancashire are again toppled at penultimate hurdle

In the Lord’s final on September 15, they will face Hampshire, who followed up their success at T20 finals day by booking their spot in the final with an eight-wicket victory over Sussex at Hove.

A candidate to be England’s new Test opener, Chopra anchored the 2010 winners’ score of 250-6 with 110 off 124 balls, including nine fours and a six.

Lancashire then crumbled to 90-5 in reply and they went on to lose for the first time in seven matches at Old Trafford this season.

This was also Lancashire’s 11th semi-final defeat in the last 12 in all forms of limited-overs cricket as they were bowled out for 227 with two balls left.

New ball bowler Neil Carter excelled with 4-38, and Paul Horton top-scored for the hosts with 78 off 63 balls.

Not the 25-year-old’s most fluent innings, Chopra shared 126 inside 23 overs with opening partner Will Porterfield, who scored 67 after Jim Troughton elected to bat.

Chopra anchored the innings – he fell off the last ball of the penultimate over – as the Bears posted a season’s best total.

But Lancashire should have been comfortable at the halfway stage after restricting the damage in the latter half of the innings.

Former Yorkshire paceman Ajmal Shahzad took three wickets, including two with successive deliveries in the 39th, to confirm his place as the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 21.

In the other semi-final, openers Michael Carberry (68) and James Vince (58) launched a blistering assault before Simon Katich (47 no) and Jimmy Adams (44no) completed the job as Hampshire chased down Sussex’s 219-8 with 42 balls to spare.

Luke Wright had made a brilliant 122 for Sussex but they collapsed from 195-3 to 199-8 as Sean Ervine took 3-36 and Danny Briggs t2-32.

England all-rounder Wright had made 35 when he pulled David Griffiths straight to Bilal Shafayat at deep square leg who spilled a straightforward chance.

Wright made Hampshire pay as he put on 71 off 70 balls for the first wicket with Chris Nash before the latter fell in Danny Briggs’s first over for 26.

Wright raced to his 50 off 37 balls and took a further 47 balls to bring up his second century in consecutive games.

He dominated a stand of 88 with Matt Prior who looked strangely subdued before frustration got the better of him and he was bowled around his legs for 28.

That sparked an alarming collapse for Sussex. The momentum had firmly shifted in Hampshire’s favour and they carried it into their innings as Carberry and Vince got them off to a flying start, putting on 129 off 76 balls to set up a comfortable win.